Episode Details

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A piece of music, a friendship, a moment in nature, a struggle with suffering, a quiet stretch of contemplation, or a remark made almost in passing can become a point of contact with something larger than ourselves.

In this special episode, Jerry L. Martin considers theology as an inquiry into divine or ultimate reality. Particles are ultimate in physics. Leibniz had his monads. Jerry is interested in the kind of ultimate reality that has, or ought to have, a gravitational pull on our lives.

Religious traditions offer rich glimpses of that reality, alongside philosophy, literature, depth psychology, art, music, love, friendship, suffering, and the demands that arise unexpectedly in the course of a life. A calling may be one of those moments. So may a clue, a nudge, or something said by a friend at exactly the right time.

Spiritual discernment means learning to notice those glimmers and take them seriously without losing the ability to question them. Jerry considers projection, fantasy, groupthink, and the assumptions we bring to our own experience, while also asking what can be missed when doubt becomes the starting point for everything.

His “epistemics of trust” offers another possibility: an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to let experience teach us. No one can take in everything. The task is more personal than that: to recognize the breadcrumbs along your own path and follow them as faithfully as you can.

Jerry L. Martin is the founder of Theology Without Walls, a cooperative, constructive, trans-religious theological project devoted to understanding ultimate reality as fully as possible. Its premise is that revelation, enlightenment, and insight into the divine are not confined to a single tradition, so theology should be willing to learn from the insights found across religious traditions.

Get the books:

Radically Personal: God and Ourselves in the New Axial Age

God: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher

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Continue the conversation with Ultimate Questions on calling, divine guidance, and how we recognize what is ours to do:

https://substack.com/@ultimatequestions

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Other Series:

The podcast began with the Dramatic Adaptation of the book and now has several series:

The Life Wisdom Project – Spiritual insights on living a wiser, more meaningful life.

From God to Jerry to You – Divine messages and breakthroughs for seekers.

Two Philosophers Wrestle With God – A dialogue on God, truth, and reason.

Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue – Love, faith, and divine presence in partnership.

What’s Your Spiritual Story – Real stories of people changed by encounters with God.

What’s On Our Mind – Reflections from Jerry and Scott on recent episodes.

What’s On Your Mind – Listener questions, divine answers, and open dialogue. 

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